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H. HUSTON. Car Coupling. I No. 65,228. .Patented May 28,1867.

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1t. H." HUSTON, or KEQKUK Letters Patent No. 65,228, dated May 28,1867.

IMPROVED can-contains.

H.. TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, R. H. IIUSTON, of Keokuk, in the county of Lee, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and improved Oar-Coupling; and Ldo hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification. in which- Figure 1 is a front end view of the draw-bar.

higure 2 is a longitudinal section, taken vertically through the centre of the draw-bar.

Figure 3' is a horizontal section through the same, showing the coupling-bar in two positions.

' Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the line 1; v in fig. 1, showing the upper portion of the draw-bar. Figure 5 is a vertical section through the draw-bar, taken in the plane indicated by red line 3 1/, fig. 2. Figures 6, T, and 8 are vieris showing the form of the conpling-bar.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Jlhis invention relates to an improvement on that class of railroad cauccuplings which are so constructed as to form a self-coupling, and thus avoid all danger from crushing braliemen between cars, and which will also form a surc sclf-nncouplin and allow cars in a train to separate should one of them leave the track.

The nature of my invention and improvement consists in constructing a draw-bar head wit a concavity in ito'i' such form as will receive and safely hold a peculiarly'rounded catch-head, which is on acoupling-bar, under all ordinary circumstances, and which will also cause said catch-head to rise out of its cavity and efieet the uncoupling of cars should one car in a train leave the track; and, in conjunction with such peculiar form of catch-head and cavity, the invention consists in the use of a spring-guidc, which is so arranged in the draw-head as to direct and adjust the catch-head into its place, and keep it there when the cars are safely on the traclz, as will be hereinafter described. 4 1

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operatiom The shape of the draw-head A, externally, may be like that of any of the Well-known draw-bar heads using coupling-links. The mouth or. opening in the head A is constructed so as to flare outward, for receiving and guidingthe catch-head, whichis on the coupling-bar, into a concavity, B, behind the bevelled lip a. This cavity B is formed by the laterally-flaring sides 6 b, the concave abutting back 0, and front holding lip The curved abutment 0, shown in fig. 2, is made so as to direct the point of the catch-head downward as this head is brought to its place in chamber B. The lateral flaring sides 6 5 of the cavity or chamber 33, shown in fig. 5, extend from the concave base of this chamber upward and outward as high as the catcluhead of the coupling-bar is allowed to rise in removing it from the draw-head. The forward corners of the chamber B are contracted in such manner as to leave the angular rests (Z 0?, over which the hooking point of the catch-head is allowed to pass upon being Withdrawn from the chamber B, at the angle indicated by dotted lines in fig. 3. Directly above the chamber B a stud, c, is formed for the purpose of receiving around it a helical spring, f, and keeping this spring in place. This spring f is designed for a-il'ording a downward yielding pressure upon guide-plate, C, which is pivoted to the shank A by means of a horizontal transverse bolt, E, which forms a joint for allowing the curved front end of plate 0 to rise and falll I The front end of this plate C is curved upward, so as to form a guard or guide; and a recess,'h, is made in the upper portion of the draw-hendfor allowing this plate to rise as the catch-head on the coupling-bar passes into the chamber over the lip 2, Instead of employing a spring,f, as described, the guide-plate may be made of steel of sufiicicnt strength to serve as a means of guiding the catch-head in place into its chamber 13, and keeping it there under ordinary circumstances. The chamber F, shown in figs. 2, 3, and 4, is designed for receiving such a spring-guide as mentioned. The coupling-bar G, shown in figs 6 7, and 8, consists of a fiat shank, 2', having heads jj formed on its extremities, of such. shape and size as to form strong catches behind the lips a of the draw-heads. The shank is fiat, or nearly so, on one side, with the semiellipsoidal or elongated knobs formed on the opposite side, and so shaped as to work iii-and fasten, by the lips a of the draw-head chambers B, as an irregular half hall and socket. This dcublo-headed conpling bar has its catching surfaces hooked or bevelled, as shown in fig. (L fer the purpose of preventing it from having any upward tendency when applied between two draw-heads. The ends of the heads'jj are rounded when taken in cross section or'in longitudinal section, as showh in the drawings. In fig. 3 I have represented, in red lines, a doubleheaded coupling-bar applied to a draw-head so that its hooked head will be held firmly in place by the lip a when the cars are on the track; and, in red lines in this figure, I have also represented the coupling-bar in a. position for uncoupling or leaving its chamber B and passing over the angular surface d on one side of this chamber, as

/ would be the case should a car run oil the track. It will be seen, by reference to this fig. 3, and the dotted position of the coupling-bar, that, when a car leaves the track, there will be a lateral pressure of the shank of the bar G against the vertical front end of the draw-head, which end becomes the fulcrum'for the bar G, and causes its catch-head to slide upward against one of the outwardly-flaring sides of its chamber B, and pass out of the draw-head over one of the angular surfaces 01, thus uncoupling the car which leaves the track from the car which is safely upon the track. The lateral opening of the draw-head should be such as to allow of the lateral motion of cars while in motion without bringing the shank of the draw-barv against the vertical sides of the draw-head.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A draw-head with a chamber, B, for receiving a catch-head, G, of the form described, said chamber having its side walls made flaring, so as to cause the escape of the catch-head should a car leave the track, substantially as described. I

2. A yielding guide-plate, C, or its equivalent, in conjunction with a chamber, B, of the form substantially as described. a

3. The combination of the draw-head, which has a laterally-flaring chamber, B, and the coupling-bar G, with semi-ellipsoidal catch-heads on its ends, substantially as and for the purposes described.

R. H. HUSTON.

Witnesses:

O. M. Hvs'rou, B. H. HENNIBERRY. 

